Naomi KINGSTON

Naomi Kingston is a strategic leader in global conservation, currently serving as Chair of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Partnership and Vice President of Global Resource Mobilization with Conservation International. With over two decades of experience across the United Nations system, national conservation agencies, and international NGOs, she has led transformative efforts to align science, policy, and practice in support of biodiversity.

Before moving to CI two years ago, Naomi held several leadership positions at the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), culminating in her role overseeing operations across the Centre. There, she guided global initiatives on protected and conserved areas, marine ecosystems, and environmental knowledge management, helping shape international frameworks and supporting countries in meeting their environmental commitments.

Naomi began her career as a post-doctoral research fellow and environmental consultant after earning her PhD in Conservation Biology from Trinity College Dublin. She then spent nearly a decade as a Conservation Scientist with Ireland’s national nature conservation agency, where she championed the open sharing of biodiversity data to improve conservation decision-making.